An Uncertain Future
by Sleepydwarf47
Summary: a blacksmith's apprentice gets a once and a lifetime opportunity. i suck at summaries just read it.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Get yer arse up here boy," Cromwell yelled. Tanon sighed as he lept from his bed. He wondered what his master wanted now, well he knew what he wanted either to start the forge or run to the nearest tavern and get him some food. Judging from the fact he didn't hear the dwarfs stomach growling along with him it was the former. So that meant some band of adventurers had come in wanting weapons or armor made for them.  
  
Tanon was an apprentice for the best smith in Athkatla, Cromwell Bladepacer. With the recent discovery of the ruins to the east adventurers had flocked here from all over the Sword Coast, but with all the new work came a lack of time to sleep so both he and the dwarf were getting quite tired. This was the third time this week that they had been woken up in the middle of the night for some commision or other! As Tanon bounded up the last set of stairs he ran into his master knocking them both down.

"Watch where yer runnnin ye fool boy!" Cromwell exclaimed as he picked himself and his apprentice up.  
  
This looked odd as Tanon was closer to six and a half feet and the dwarf was not four feet tall. Cromwell was rather short even for a dwarf and his face was hardly visible behind the bushy eyebrows and bushier mustache and beard, while Tanon was tall and clean shaven. Both were muscular as was needed for their trade and wore heavy aprons to protect their bodies from the sparks and heat given off by the forge.

"Get the books and their gold then start the forge boy," Cromwell told him then went off to get a drink of his "invigorating potion" as he called it before they started working. Tanon went out into the lobby and looked at the group of people out there. Three fighters, two appearing to be half-orc from their jutting jaw and arguing about who's sword was bigger, and a wizard. While most wizards in Amn appeared skittish and wary this one appeared bored and unconcerned.  
  
The non-half-orc fighter was grinning widely Tanon went up to him and asked,"Name?"

The fighter kept grinning and said with a low bow," Coland of the Thunder Axes out of Luskan here to investigate the ruins east of here."

Well isn't that nice Tanon thought but said," And what do you want made this evening"

"I was wanting you to make me some ankheg plate mail, now how much would this cost?" Coland asked this all the while smiling.

"That would require 5000 gold and the shell of an ankheg," Tanon said while cleaning the soot out from under his nails.

"Well then hold on and I will retrieve the items from my pack" As Coland bent down to get the items from his pack Tanon examined him and the wizard. Coland was wearing an archiac set of splint mail and was just shy of 6 feet, the mage was maybe 5'3 or 5'4 he was wearing numerous peices of jewelery and robes the color of the sea, a type of blue green.  
  
Coland staightened up holding the ankheg shell in one hand and a bulging bag in the other. Tanon took both and recorded the transaction in the book. That being done he put the book on the shelf and went downstairs he put the money in the safe and layed the shell on the table as he started the bellows.  
  
Tanon wiped the sweat from his brow as he looked on at his and the dwarfs handy work. The ankheg shell had been transformed from a hollow carcass into a set of fine plate mail. The dwarf was already on his way out to tell the party in the lobby it was done. Tanon took a moment to gaze at the finished peice then followed his master out with the armor in hand. The dwarf was talking to Coland about him coming to the forge for future business. The wizard beckoned him over saying he would take the armor. Tanon shrugged it didn't matter to him.  
  
As he turned back to his master to ask if he could go to bed or needed to start his chores he was surprised to hear," And what of your apprentice can he wield a sword," coming out of Coland's mouth.

Cromwell answered," Aye well enough he can, he's helped me a couple of times against costomers unwilling to pay for the finished product."

" Is that so," Coland asked," It just so happens I was lookin for another sword hand before I go back down in the ruins."

"Well I dunno if I could spare ye the boy times are very busy at the moment but I'll leave it up to the boy, his appreticeship is nearly over," the dwarf stated nuetrally. While he would hate to see the boy go but he was grown and Cromwell could do little to stop him.  
  
Coland just stared, leave become an adventurer that would have been just fool's talk last night but now it was an opportunity. Tanon looked at his master but Cromwell just stared back. "Alright I'll join your group," he said letting out his breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Ok then boy come down here I have somethin I'm wantin to give ya," Cromwell said. Tanon just nodded.

"What did you want to give me master?" Tanon asked, he was dismayed at having to leave his master but when would this kinda thing happen again.

Cromwell went into the stockroom with Tanon following quietly. The dwarf went over to a chest in the corner and slowly unlocked it. He drew out a sword, it was long almost to long to be wielded with one hand, it was a bastard sword. Also called a hand-and-a-half sword, the sword was encased in a scabbard with two runes on either side at the top of it. The sword itself looked to be made of mithral and the hilt was a gleaming silver while the grip was some type of golden metal the pommel jewel was a gleaming emerald inside a circle of silver.

"You should be able to defend yourself well enough with this sword," Cromwell stated. "Go and pick ye a suit of armor then pack yer stuff up. Then I don't want to see you back here until yer a sucessful adventurer with plenty of gold." As he said this he went to his room wiping a tear on his shirt as he went, this always happened, every time one of his apprentices moved on it was always hard.

**Sorry it's so short I'll try and write chapter 2 longer. **


	2. Chapter 2

**disclaimer: i own nothing you recognize. if you do recognize something just rearrange the letters then i do own it.**

'Oh my aching feet,' Tanon thought as he kept up the swift pace set by Coland and the half-orcs. As far as he could tell their names were Gogur and Bogur. Three evenings had passed and the wizard hadn't even looked at him. He seemed prefectly fine acting like Tanon didn't exist at all. "I hope we're stopping for camp soon," Tanon whispered to himself. It wasnt like anyone could hear him the half-orcs were grunting behind him the mage appeared deep in thought and Coland was a good twenty feet infront of him whistling at the moon which had recently risin.

This was his schedule wake up slighty after dawn, walk til after moon rise then go to sleep and repeat. Coland was as he confided in Tanon their second day out of Athkatla was a cleric to Tymora. That had explained why he was here but Tanon asked about his other allies. Coland had told him the half-orcs were working of their time as indentured servants. Coland had paid the two fighters way across the Sea of Fallen Stars. While, he confessed, the passage had been relatively cheap the half-orcs were bound to him for another season or two. When asked about the mage Coland's face had grown dark and he had said to ask the mage.

So here he was the question on the edge of his lips he was going to find out this mans name and maybe even his reason for traveling with the group. Just as Tanon opened his mouth to ask the mage said in a deep tone,"My name is Elensar Difur and you need not be concerned with my past." His manner was slow and confident like he had not a worry in the world. "We will reach the ruins by midmorning tomorrow, be prepared."

After he had said this he left. Tanon slowly shut his mouth, he wondered how the mage had know what he was going to ask. Tanon blinked still amazed but at that moment Coland called for a halt. As Tanon went about setting up camp with the other he kept shooting glances at the wizard.

They had just reached the ruins. All morning Coland had been filling him in on just what was in the ruins. "Undead,"Coland calmly stated," were swarming to this place like flies." In fact they were the reason the ruins had been discovered, all someone did was follow their dead mother to the ruins. It seemed the undead were trying to get here anyway they could, then guarding it with a fierce might. From reports adventureres that were able to push their way into the deeper parts were unable to get back out once their weariness overcame them.

"Then how do we get out," Tanon asked slightly shaken. At this Coland had merely winked and taken the lead. Now slightly nervous Tanon had asked Elensar what he knew of the ruins.

Elensar replied,"The ruins were once inhabitad by dwarfs judging by the small amount of buildings outside, other than that nothing is known."

"Have preists not tried to divine the answer," Tanon asked. He tried to appear confident but on the inside he was shaking. Dwarfs were strong folk and hard headed. Tanon doubted the dwarfs had left their homes willingly, and he was slightly frightened to think of what had run the hardy people off.

"Yes, the clergymen have come but their pathetic efforts have failed," Elensar said with a slightly smug tone. 'Ahhhhhh he doesnt like priests, so why's he with Coland,' Tanon thought. 'Oh well he can have his secrets.'

About an hour or so before noon they started seeing undead. When this happened Coland pulled the group back saying to make ready they were leaving to go into the ruins first thing tomorrow. He then started to set up camp and scout the surrounding lands.

Tanon sat on a fallen tree polishing his lightly enchanted chainmail, his duties were done at the moment so he had taken the extre time to fix up his badly neglected suit of armor. It had sat in his former master's cellar for so long it had a fine layer of dust covering it. Even with these past days use most of the dust was still on it, Tanon intended to rectify that. Just as he finished Elensar had come over.

"I have come to tell you your duties when we enter the ruins," he said with little delay.

"I know guard you and take out anything that gets past them," Tanon said jerking his head in the direction of the half-orcs playing in a large mud puddle.

"That is not all you will also need to play rear guard and kill anything that approches from that direction."

"Fine, is that all?

"No that isn't all I also wanted to ask you about your sword.

Tanon glanced down at the bastard sword hanging from his waist,"What about it," he asked boldly.

The wizard gave him a sour look and said,"I was wondering if you would allow me to look at it a bit more closely.

"Why?"

"I can sense an aura of magic about it and would like to identify that magic," the mage asked eagerly.

" I think not," Tanon said after a moments debate. He wouldn't allow this gift from Cromwell to come into another's hands. For a moment Elensar looked to be holding back rage but he quickly regained control. With a curt nodd he walked away. Tanon looked down at his waist still somewhat unsure of what to make of Elensar. With the sun setting and Coland's return they settled down and picked watches. Tanon was lucky he got first watch. As he sat by the fire wrapped in a blanket he thought about what tomorrow would hold. In his mind he was fighting elementals and dragons and all sorts of beasts when finally Bogur woke up for his watch Tanon was quite tired. With a nod to Bogur he laid down and fell asleep.

**Thank you very much my one reviewer. As to the rest of you, if you won't review will you please send some little debbie cakes im almost out and to poor to buy more. Starving authors arent very good things. Sorry bout the short chapters they will get longer maybe.**


End file.
